This section provides background information related to the present disclosure which is not necessarily prior art.
In many motor vehicle door assemblies, an outer sheet metal door panel and an inner sheet metal door panel are connected together to define an internal door cavity therebetween. An equipment module or sub-assembly, commonly referred to as a carrier, is often mounted to the inner door panel within the internal door cavity. In addition, an impact beam, also known as an intrusion beam, is typically welded to the inner door panel to resist deformation of the door assembly during a side impact collision. The use of carriers and side impact beams increase the thickness of the door assembly and can require pre-assembly to the inner door panel prior to its subsequent connection to the outer door panel. Specifically, the impact beam typically extends across an opening formed in the inner door panel that is used to install and mount the carrier to the inner door panel within the internal door cavity, and thus can interfere with the mounting of the carrier.
In view of the above, there is a need to provide a door assembly that provides required occupant protection while also being relatively simple to manufacture and assembly. Specifically, a need exists to advance the art in the arrangements and methods used for installing the carrier through the opening and subsequently mounting the carrier to the inner door panel within the internal door cavity.